The Striking Price

The No. 1 stock in the Barron’s 500 should continue to shine. Maximize profits with this put sale.

Options Charts

VIX: The "investor's fear gauge" measures strips of Standard & Poor's 500 Index implied volatility. Investors use VIX as a gauge of how likely it is the stock market will rise or fall over the next 30 days.

OEX Dollar Weighted Put/Call Ratio: By measuring the dollars spent on all equity puts versus the dollars spent on all equity calls, investors can determine if stock option traders are bullish or bearish. The trend of the 21-day moving average of the ratio is most important: if the ratio is trending higher, the broad stock market, as measured by OEX or SPX, should be trending lower, and vice versa.

SPX Skew: Skew measures the implied volatility difference between 10% out-of-the-money puts and calls that expire in three months. Investors can use the skew to see if the options market believes, as indicated by volatility, that the stock market is more likely to advance or decline.

NDX Skew: Skew measures the implied volatility difference between 10% out-of-the-money puts and calls that expire in three months. Investors can use the skew to see if the options market believes, as indicated by volatility, that the stock market is more likely to advance or decline.